THE HUB: Eco-friendly car wash opens

Eco Car Wash recently opened in Williston. The company utilizes a variety of environmentally friendly processes. (Observer photo by Heleigh Bostwick)

May 15th, 2014

By Heleigh BostwickObserver correspondent
There’s a new car wash in town.
But Eco Car Wash is not your typical car wash.
“It’s unique in that it’s eco-friendly—right down to the last motor,” said Aaron Vincelette, who co-owns Eco Car Wash with David Soons.
Located off Vt. Route 2A near James Brown Drive, it’s hard to miss the blue and green building with its facade of glass.
“It’s built like this on purpose,” Vincelette said. “The steel is sourced from decommissioned battleships. The blue roof is made of poly acrylic, UV protected and designed to collect rain and snow.”
The roof is also translucent, letting the light through so there’s no need to turn on the lights.
The waiting room is made completely of glass.
“I’m exposing the whole thing so people can see how it works,” he said, adding that people come by on their bikes so they can watch the cars go through the 155 foot long tunnel of the car wash.
“It’s become a destination for bikers,” he said. “People are fascinated with the building.”
Other energy-saving measures used at Eco Car Wash include variable frequency drive motors and stargate drying blowers.
“All of my motors are VFD,” he said, explaining that when the motors are turned on, it happens very slowly so there’s no power surge, making it more efficient.
Stargate blowers open and close as the car passes underneath it.
“As the car passes through, the stargate closes and this stops the draw of air through the motor fans,” he explained. “It saves a lot of electricity.”
Eventually, Vincelette hopes to have eight solar trackers between Eco Car Wash and Agway to generate all electricity he needs to operate.
Vincelette said he chose Williston because the town has a growing population of apartment and condo dwellers and because it did not have a car wash. Additionally, Williston had an industrially zoned property large enough to fit the needs of a facility like Eco Car Wash.
The 2.2 acre property, which is larger than the acreage usually nee

ded to build a car wash, was required to accommodate the onsite water treatment and recycling facilities—including several 5,000 gallon tanks to collect water and one 10,000 gallon tank that collects rain and snow—that are part of what make it an eco-friendly car wash.
Water from the first three quarters of the car wash process is treated to less than five microns of debris. Next, it goes through a filtration system to remove everything, and then the water is reused.
He added that even the soap is environmentally friendly. “I don’t want to send any water with chemicals in it to the (municipal) water treatment facility.”
Vincelette also owns a smaller Eco Car Wash facility in Milton and another in Plattsburgh, which he spent several years retrofitting, but considers the Williston facility his flagship.
“When I was a kid, I loved going to the car wash,” he said. “I want make this fun for people, while at the same time giving them good value for what they’re paying for.”
In addition to the car wash, there is also an auto detailing service that includes vacuuming the interior, shampooing carpets and waxing and buffing the exterior.
“I’ve taken a mundane business like a car wash and turned it on its head,” he said. “It’s been a big eye opener for the car wash industry.”
Car washes range from $8 to $21. For more information visit www.ecocarwashcompany.com

Aaron Vincelette and David Soons recently opened Eco Car Wash. Vincelette said the unusual building has become a destination for curious bikers. (Observer photo by Heleigh Bostwick)